C. J. M. Daumont

Tuning the atomic and domain structure of epitaxial films of multiferroic BiFeO3

Recent works have shown that the domain walls of room-temperature multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO) thin films can display distinct and promising functionalities. It is thus important to understand the mechanisms underlying domain formation in these films. High-resolution x-ray diffraction and piezoforce microscopy, combined with first-principles simulations, have allowed us to characterize both the atomic and domain structure of BFO films grown under compressive strain on (001)-SrTiO3, as a function of thickness. The clamping of the substrate has been observed to exist in two different regimes: ultrathin, d 18 nm. When this is taken into account in the calculations, an excellent agreement between the predicted and observed lattice parameters is shown. We derive a twinning model that describes the experimental observations and could explain why the 71 degrees domain walls are the only ones showing insulating character. This understanding of the exact mechanism for domain formation provides us with a new degree of freedom to control the structure and, thus, the properties of BiFeO3 thin films.

Ferromagnetism and increased ionicity in epitaxially grown TbMnO3 films

Thin films of TbMnO3 have been grown on SrTiO3 substrates. The films grow under compressive strain and are only partially clamped to the substrate. This produces remarkable changes in the magnetic properties and, unlike the bulk material, the films display ferromagnetic interactions below the ordering temperature of similar to 40 K. X-ray photoemission measurements in the films show that the Mn 3s splitting is 0.3 eV larger than that of the bulk. Ab initio embedded-cluster calculations yield Mn 3s splittings that are in agreement with the experiment and reveal that the larger observed values are due to a larger ionicity of the films.

Long-range order of Ni2+ and Mn4+ and ferromagnetism in multiferroic (Bi0.9La0.1)2NiMnO6 thin films

Epitaxial thin films of biferroic (Bi1−xLax)2NiMnO6 have been grown on SrTiO3 (001) substrates. High resolution electron microscopy, energy-loss spectroscopy and synchrotron radiation have been used to demonstrate that, under appropriate growth conditions, stoichiometric, and fully oxidized thin films with long-range order of Ni2+ and Mn4+ ions can be obtained, despite the presence of randomly distributed dissimilar cations (Bi, La) at the A-site. This ordering leads to Ni2+–O–Mn4+ ferromagnetic interactions and its preservation in thin films is key for implementation of these biferroic materials in practical devices.

Influence of strain on the electronic structure of the TbMnO3/SrTiO3 epitaxial interface

Understanding the magnetotransport properties of epitaxial strained thin films requires knowledge of the chemistry at the interface. We report on the change in Mn electronic structure at the epitaxially strained TbMnO3/SrTiO3 interface. Scanning transmission electron microscopy shows an abrupt interface with a bright contrast, indicating the presence of misfit strain. Electron energy loss spectroscopy displays a chemical shift of the Mn L2,3 edge together with a high white line intensity ratio revealing a reduction in the nominal Mn oxidation state in the first 3–4 monolayers. These observations indicate misfit strain significantly changes the electronic structure at the interface.